FSCast - Full Listing of all Freedom Scientific podcasts

FSCast is Freedom Scientific's podcast. Hosted by Jonathan Mosen, FSCast features news, interviews, and product demonstrations relating to Freedom Scientific products. FSCast is a great way to make the most of the products you have as well as learning about what's new and what's around the corner.

Choosing the links for the FSCast episodes below will automatically launch the MP3 in your default media player.

To download an episode, right-click on the link, and select Save Target As. Save to the location of your choice.

FSCast Episode 104 - Jonathan Mosen speaks with Ted Henter, who founded Henter-Joyce and created JAWS: Part 1

Jonathan Mosen speaks with Ted Henter, who founded Henter-Joyce and created the JAWS® screen reading software. In part one of this two-part interview, Ted talks about his early life, the accident that left him blind, his interest in computing, founding Henter-Joyce and the early days of JAWS for DOS

If you're coming to CSUN, don't miss the summary of all our sessions, exhibits, giveaways and the celebration of JAWS® for Windows 20th anniversary.

After some comments from our listener line, Jonathan Mosen speaks with Nas Campanella. Nas reads news on the nationwide radio network, Triple J, in Australia. She's a user of our JAWS screen reading software, and has perfected a fascinating technique for doing her job.

Larry and John Gassman then join us to share the difference JAWS has made in their working lives, and what they've learned from being long-time beta testers of JAWS.

FSCast Episode 102 - JAWS for Windows 20th anniversary video, Freedom Scientific at the ATIA and CSUN conferences, make the most of Freedom Scientific Technical Support and Kelly Ford tells us about the Microsoft Accessibility Answer Desk

With submissions due by the end of this month, we remind you about how to participate in our JAWS® for Windows 20th anniversary video. We look ahead to Freedom Scientific-related events at the ATIA and CSUN conferences.

Bryan Carver talks to us about how to make the most of Freedom Scientific Technical Support, answering a range of frequently asked questions.

And Kelly Ford tells us about the Microsoft Accessibility Answer Desk, available toll free in a growing number of countries.

In this our 100th episode, host Jonathan Mosen offers a few reflections on FSCast over the years.

After some listener comments, Brian Hartgen joins us to talk about Leasey, a new product based predominantly on the JAWS scripting language offering many convenient features for both novice and expert users.

FSCast Episode 94 - JAWS 16 New Editions

We begin a series of podcasts introducing our JAWS® 16 screen reading software. Today we talk about the beta process, and announce the new JAWS editions - JAWS Home User Edition, and JAWS Professional.

FSCast Episode 88, March 2014

In celebration of Freedom Scientific's arrival on social media, Jonathan Mosen speaks with Christopher Toth of Accessible Apps. Chris is a talented young blind developer who has written a number of applications that work well with our JAWS® screen reading software, including Chicken Nugget, a means of using Twitter without visiting the website.

We feature another JAWS Bytes segment this month, demonstrating how easy it is to set up an accessible checkbook register with JAWS and Microsoft Excel®.

FSCast Episode 87, February 2014

The CSUN conference is fast approaching. Learn about exhibits, giveaways and educational seminars from Freedom Scientific.

In a world first, the Colombian Government is collaborating with Freedom Scientific and our Colombian distributor, VER, to make our JAWS® screen reading software and MAGic® screen magnification software available to anyone who needs it, and in every public location it may be useful. Valentina Wieser joins us from Colombia to tell us all about it.

Over a decade ago, a little girl named Rachel Flowers wowed CSUN with her musical ability. A JAWS user, Rachel is still making music. She joins us to share her story, and to treat us with one of her compositions.

In the first of a new series called JAWS Bytes, Jonathan Mosen looks at the additional power JAWS brings to working with the Windows clipboard.

FSCast Episode 86, January 2014

It's a new year, and a chance to form good new habits. Why not take time out to become more familiar with Freedom Scientific technologies with the help of all the training material we produce? Dan Clark from our Training Department talks with Jonathan Mosen about making the most of the DAISY books and webinars available.

We then speak with Bob Sweetman of Sweetman Systems, who tells us about a handy one-page reference he's produced to help with commonly-performed JAWS tasks and commands.

FSCast Episode 82, September 2013

Jonathan Mosen speaks with John Blake, who became Freedom Scientific's President and CEO in June. John talks about his background, outlines what interested him in the Freedom Scientific role, and offers some candid thoughts on the future of the company.

FSCast Episode 81, August 2013

FSCast Episode 80, July 2013

Jonathan Mosen speaks with Jim Bond, an Australian with Dyslexia who left school at 14, but has graduated in his 50's with a degree in Political Science. Hear his remarkable story, and how his life was changed by Freedom Scientific's WYNN™ literacy software.

FSCast Episode 73, December 2012

Apple has just released iTunes® 11, a rewrite of their software used to purchase, play, and organize digital media, as well as for managing Apple mobile devices. This is part one of an updated two-part series on using iTunes 11 with version 14 of our JAWS® screen reading software.

FSCast Episode 72, November 2012

Jonathan Mosen speaks with Dr. Amy Bower, a physical oceanographer at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts. She talks about her fascinating field of study and how she is assisted by Freedom Scientific's JAWS® screen reading software, and MAGic® screen magnification software.

Mary Beth Kullen from the Greater Detroit Agency for the Blind and Visually Impaired tells us about a summer camp supported by Freedom Scientific, which helped young people become more skilled with technology.

FSCast Episode 69, August 2012

FSCast Episode 68, July 2012

Jonathan Mosen speaks with Sue Martin. Blinded as the result of a suicide attempt, Sue put her life back together to become a successful professional. In an attempt to help others, she has begun writing about her experiences.

FSCast Episode 67, June 2012

Eric Damery joins Jonathan Mosen to discuss our attendance at the annual conventions of the National Federation of the Blind and American Council of the Blind. We'll also discuss the forthcoming release of our JAWS® 14 screen reading software, and Microsoft Windows® 8.

Dusty Voorhees then joins us to discuss version 12 of our MAGic® screen magnification software. Scheduled for release later this year, MAGic 12 represents a major breakthrough in screen magnification.

FSCast Episode 66, May 2012

Earlene Hughes is an experienced Web site designer who is totally blind.
She discusses techniques for developing a functional, visually attractive
Web site with the assistance of our JAWS® screen reading software.

FSCast Episode 64, March 2012

This month, we focus on Freedom Scientific in the community. Jonathan Mosen speaks with Jim Kutsch, President of The Seeing Eye, to learn about his career and the forthcoming online auction, to which Freedom Scientific has donated.

Then we hear from Mark Arnold from the American Blind Golf Association. He'll tell us about the game itself, and the Association's philanthropic work, which Freedom Scientific is proud to support.

FSCast Episode 61, December 2011

Jonathan Mosen speaks with Bill McCann, President and founder of Dancing Dots. This company has changed the way blind people make music, with the assistance of a range of software tools and Freedom Scientific products.

FSCast Episode 59, October 2011

This month, Jonathan Mosen speaks with John Martin. John became blind just three years ago, yet he has mastered the JAWS® scripting language to the extent that he has written powerful scripts for iTunes®, and Rhapsody®.

FSCast Episode 58, September 2011

FSCast Episode 57, August 2011

This month, Jonathan Mosen continues to demonstrate the PLEXTALK™ Pocket portable DAISY player, focusing exclusively on its powerful recording capabilities. Learn how to create your own DAISY content on the device, then modify and build a DAISY book using the PRS Pro software for Windows. This software is available with the PLEXTALK Pocket only when purchased from Freedom Scientific.

FSCast Episode 53, April 2011

This month, Eric Damery tells us about the many features and enhancements contained in the Update 1 release of our JAWS 12® screen reading software. Eric also tells us about the JAWS Certification Program.

We then take you back to the CSUN 2011 conference, this time to hear from Glen Gordon, who demonstrates using JAWS 12 with Microsoft Visual Studio Professional 2010.

FSCast Episode 48, November 2010

This month, Jonathan Mosen speaks with Dusty Voorhees about Freedom Scientific's SARA™CE, the new camera addition of our scanning and reading appliance.

Did you know Freedom Scientific's products make a difference all around the world, in many languages? Dominic Burdick, our Director of Localization, introduces himself and talks about the process of localization.

FSCast Episode 46, September 2010

In this month's episode, Jonathan Mosen reviews the new features in PAC Mate 6.5, the software for our PAC Mate Omni™ Accessible Pocket PC. He'll discuss a significant price reduction in the product, and summarise why PAC Mate leads the notetaker field.

If you have a device running Apple's iOS4, such as the iPhone® or iPod Touch®, Freedom Scientific's Focus 40 Blue™ is the perfect companion. Jonathan demonstrates pairing Focus 40 Blue with iPhone 4, then navigating and entering text from the Braille keyboard.

FSCast Episode 44, July 2010

This month, Jonathan Mosen speaks with Dr Tim Cordes, one of only two qualified medical doctors in the United States who are blind. Tim tells us his story, and talks about what it has taken to overcome the scepticism of those who say a blind person can't be a doctor. He also talks about the technology he uses to get the job done.

FSCast Episode 43, June 2010

This month, FSCast begins with a summary of upcoming conventions where you can see Freedom Scientific products.

We discuss Freedom Scientific's Vision Awareness Days. Learn how these events can introduce you to technology that can improve your quality of life.

If you've been looking for an accessible accounting package for your home or business, Accomplish CashManager may be worth a look. We learn about the software, and how this New Zealand-based company has gone the extra mile to make it accessible with JAWS® screen reading software.

FSCast Episode 41, April 2010

On this month's FSCast, Jonathan Mosen speaks with Dusty Voorhees about the upcoming release of OpenBook™ scanning and reading software 9.0. He'll also discuss and demonstrate the revolutionary new PEARL™ portable reading solution.

Jonathan then discusses the importance of Braille displays, and how Focus 40 Blue™ can be used with a range of devices.

FSCast Episode 38, January 2010

This month, Jonathan Mosen speaks with Karen Petrou, Chief Executive Officer of Federal Financial Analytics in Washington DC. We learn about her work, and the ways she uses Freedom Scientific technology to get the job done.

Jonathan then speaks with Vicky Cardona and Rusty Kelly of Freedom Scientific's Test Department about their crucial role in the release of new hardware and software.

FSCast Episode 37, December 2009

This month marks the beginning of FSCast's fourth year, so who better to feature in this edition than the host of FSCast, Jonathan Mosen? Glen Gordon speaks with Jonathan about growing up in New Zealand and his career before coming to Freedom Scientific.

FSCast Episode 36, November 2009

This month, we demonstrate some of the new Research It functionality introduced into the latest update of our JAWS® 11 screen reading software.

We then turn our attention to the 10th annual Braille Challenge, run by the Braille Institute of America, and which Freedom Scientific is proud to sponsor. We speak with Nancy Niebrugge, the Braille Institute's Assistant Vice President of Programs and Services.

For a participant's perspective on the Braille Challenge, we then hear from 10-year-old Cricket Bidleman, who has already won a PAC Mate™ accessible pocket PC from Freedom Scientific, thanks to her participation.

FSCast Episode 35, October 2009

October marks the release of Freedom Scientific's JAWS® 11 screen reading software and Microsoft's new operating system, Windows® 7. JAWS 11 offers a number of feature enhancements to improve accessibility with this new operating system, and Microsoft itself has made many changes. To get a user perspective on JAWS 11 and Windows 7, we are joined by J. R. Westmoreland, an experienced technology user. We discuss what's new in Windows 7 and when might be the right time to consider an upgrade.

FSCast Episode 34, September 2009

This month, we continue to profile the new features in Freedom Scientific's JAWS® 11 screen reading software. Eric Damery, Vice President of Software Product Management, updates us on the beta process as we move towards release.

Jonathan Mosen demonstrates some changes to Research It in JAWS 11 that have been implemented as a result of your feedback.

Glen Gordon, Freedom Scientific's Chief Technology officer, discusses the secure and compatible braille display driver initiative introduced in JAWS 11 to improve the experience of braille display users with JAWS. He is followed by Dirk Kochanek of Papenmeier, a German manufacturer of braille displays, who discusses the signed driver initiative from the perspective of a braille display manufacturer.

We round off FSCast this month with a voice familiar to many. Jim Ellsworth from our technical support department discusses his background and his work, so you can learn more about the man behind the voice.

FSCast Episode 33, August 2009

This month, Jonathan Mosen is joined by Eric Damery, our Vice President of Software Product Management, to unveil what's new in our JAWS® 11 screen reading software. JAWS 11 will be in public beta starting the week of August 31.

FSCast Episode 31, June 2009

This month, we invite you to visit Freedom Scientific at the conventions of the American Council of the Blind, the National Federation of the Blind, and Sight Village in the UK.

Jonathan Mosen then speaks with award winning science fiction author Robert J Sawyer. The first of his WWW Trilogy was released in April. Its main character is a JAWS® user who spends plenty of time on the Web. Rob talks about the trilogy, its characters, and some important philosophical questions raised in the books.

FSCast Episode 30, May 2009

This month's FSCast discusses the
use of the social networking site Twitter
in conjunction with JAWS® screen reading software and PAC Mate Omni™
accessible Pocket PC.

Jonathan
Mosen speaks with Shannon Reece, Pratik
Patel, and Mika Pyyhkala, who actively use Twitter with Freedom Scientific
products. They discuss what Twitter is, how to sign up, and some third party
applications and services they use to make the most of
it.

Jonathan then speaks with Sean
Randall, the author of Jawter, a
set of JAWS scripts that give you access to Twitter from within any application
while JAWS is running.

We're then joined by Jamal Mazrui,
author of McTwit. This
is a powerful application written specifically for blind Twitter users, with
functions accessible using a series of keyboard
commands.

If you use Microsoft Outlook®, you
can send and receive tweets, and run Twitter searches, right from within your
inbox. The Chief Executive of TechHit, Alex Kovalchuk,
tells us about TWInbox, formerly
known as OutTwit.

While the main Twitter site works
very well with JAWS, Accessible
Twitter offers a number of enhancements that makes the Twitter experience
easier. It's creator, Dennis Lembree, tells us all about
it.

During our discussions, we mention a
number of other Twitter tools. Here are links to a
few.

Twikini is a Windows Mobile
Twitter client that's easy to use, and works well with PAC Mate
Omni.

Twittermail facilitates the sending of
tweets via e-mail, as well as scheduling tweets to be sent in the
future.

Twimailer provides detailed follow
notifications, so you can see some recent tweets from people who are following
you.

Tweetlater offers many powerful
enhancements to Twitter, including automatic sending of welcome messages and
e-mailing a digest of replies.

FSCast Episode 29, April 2009

This month, Jonathan Mosen speaks with Dusty Vorhees about new features in Freedom Scientific's MAGic® screen magnification software version 11. Find out about the many enhancements in the recently released MAGic update, and how you can apply to test the next release. Dusty also tells us about new features in our OpenBook™ scanning and reading software.

T&T Consultancy have released Say MAGic, a powerful interface between MAGic and Dragon Naturally speaking. Brian Hartgen tells us all about it.

Skype™ is a popular way to make high quality calls over the Internet. Version 4 of Skype was recently released, offering improved audio quality. It has a completely new user interface. Doug Lee has written popular scripts for Skype for use with Freedom Scientific's JAWS® screen reading software. He joins us to talk about the pros and cons of upgrading to this new version of Skype.

FSCast Episode 28, March 2009

This month's FSCast begins with a summary of Freedom Scientific-related activities you can enjoy at the 24th Annual CSUN International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference.

We then speak with Tom Wlodkowski, Director of Accessibility at AOL™. Tom talks about his role at AOL and invites feedback from FSCast listeners regarding the accessibility of AOL software and services. Following the positive response from listeners to our January FSCast on accessible Web 2.0 applications with Aria and Freedom Scientific's JAWS for Windows screen reading software, Tom describes the DHTML Style Guide. He shows how it helps to make Web 2.0 applications keyboard friendly, by demonstrating an accessible version of AOL Mail.

FSCast Episode 27, February 2009

In this month's FSCast, learn about new Freedom Scientific Training workshops to assist you in using JAWS® screen reading software, MAGic® screen magnification software, and other Freedom Scientific products and get information on new interactive Webinars for online training from your home or office.

FSCast Episode 26, January 2009

This month's FSCast focuses on Web 2.0. Thanks to Freedom Scientific's JAWS® for Windows® and an emerging technology known as ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Application), Web sites using the latest technologies are becoming more accessible.

FSCast Episode 25, December 2008

On this month's FSCast, a beta version of our JAWS® for Windows® screen reading software is announced for the 64-bit version of Microsoft Windows Vista®. Guest: Eric Damery, Vice President of Software Product Management

International Product Specialist Oleg Shevkun talks about growing up in the Soviet Union and the remarkable story that led him to Freedom Scientific.

FSCast Episode 24, November 2008

This month's FSCast looks at Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) for the blind with VoIP specialist Patrick Perdue. Patrick, who uses Freedom Scientific technology, discusses the advantages of using the Internet, rather than a telephone services carrier. You'll also learn about easy control of VoIP services with a Web browser and JAWS® for Windows® screen reading software, and you can sit in as we make actual calls using JAWS and the PAC Mate Omni™ Accessible Pocket PC for the blind.

FSCast Episode 23, October 2008

This month's FSCast with Jonathan Mosen features the new SAPPHIRE™ portable video magnifier for low vision -less than 2 lbs., flexible, and foldable for magnification of flat documents and 3D objects - as well as for writing. Guest: Brad Davis, Freedom Scientific Vice President of Hardware Management

FSCast also spotlights T&T Consultancy's J-Tools - a set of JAWS® screen reading software scripts that add productivity and efficiency features for the blind. Guests: Brian Hartgen and Sue Martin

FSCast Episode 22, September 2008

This month, Eric Damery returns to talk about the next public beta of JAWS® 10. Not only have we made changes in response to your feedback, but there are exciting new features to show you. We'll demonstrate the powerful out-of-the-box access JAWS users can now enjoy with iTunes® 8. Plus, we unveil a significant new feature that will change the way many JAWS users receive support and assistance. This is an FSCast you won't want to miss.

FSCast Episode 21, August 2008

This month, FSCast unveils JAWS® 10, as Jonathan Mosen speaks with Eric Damery, Freedom Scientific's Vice President of Software Product Management. In advance of the first public beta, Eric will demonstrate a wide range of new features that provide unparalleled access to Windows®.

FSCast Episode 20, July 2008

This month, Jonathan Mosen introduces PAC Mate Omni™ 6.1, a free upgrade for all PAC Mate Omni users that puts this accessible Pocket PC even further ahead of the pack.

Get information about several exciting new features including: full support for contracted braille input, the new Reader Mode which provides access to PDF files, and the addition of new Navigation Quick Keys. In addition, learn about the new upgrade path that enables users to keep their data and installed applications in tact when the firmware is updated.

FSCast Episode 19, June 2008

This month, Jonathan Mosen speaks with Olga Espinola from Freedom Scientific's scripting department. Olga has been a user, trainer, and influential force in assistive technology for a quarter of a century. She discusses her fascinating career, reminisces about the evolution of assistive technology, and offers some advice to people considering a career in technology.

We also summarize Freedom Scientific-related events at this year's Sight Village exhibition in the UK.

FSCast Episode 18, May 2008

In this month's FSCast, we tell you about new releases of JAWS® and MAGic®, announce the return of our Open Plan notetaker trade-in offer, and take you through the schedule of Freedom Scientific events at the forthcoming conventions of the National Federation of the Blind, and American Council of the Blind.

During this episode you can also listen to a recording of "PAC Mate Omni™, Beyond the Basics", a presentation delivered at the CSUN 2008 conference by Jonathan Mosen.

FSCast Episode 17, April 2008

This month, Jonathan Mosen speaks with several users of Freedom Scientific's MAGic® screen magnification software. We learn how MAGic is used stand-alone, in conjunction with speech and braille, in situations where scripting can help productivity, and in complex network installations.

We also tell you about our free MAGic trial, allowing you to try MAGic at absolutely no cost until the end of August.

FSCast Episode 15, February 2008

In this month's FSCast, we'll tell you about all the Freedom Scientific presentations you can attend at this year's CSUN conference in Los Angeles. You'll also hear about our special CSUN reception where you can meet many familiar names from Freedom Scientific and enjoy some great hospitality.

Jonathan Mosen then speaks with David Pinto of Yes Accessible. With no programming background but a natural gift of being able to share knowledge, David began developing a range of JAWS for Windows® scripts. CakeTalking and Sibelius Speaking are sold in the US by Dancing Dots. Typeability, which we demonstrate later in the podcast, is available directly from Yes Accessible.

FSCast Episode 13, December 2007

This month, Jonathan Mosen speaks with Brad Davis about Freedom Scientific's low vision hardware, including the TOPAZ™, ONYX™, and OPAL™. They also will demonstrate the SARA™, the Scanning and Reading Appliance, which has features of interest to both blind and low vision users.

The PAC Mate Omni™ is now shipping. Ron Miller joins Jonathan to discuss how you can upgrade your existing PAC Mate to this latest technology.

FSCast Episode 11, October 2007

In this edition of FSCast, Jonathan Mosen speaks with Dusty Voorhees about two exciting software updates.
OpenBook™ 8.0 scanning and
reading software is so much more than an optical character recognition package. Find out about the many
enhancements that make OpenBook a powerful way to convert printed documents or graphic-based text
into an electronic text format using accurate optical character recognition and quality speech.

MAGic® 11.0
screen magnification software for low vision users is currently in public beta. Dusty tells us what's new.

One of the many benefits of the PAC Mate™ accessible Pocket PC is that its
uses can be expanded with third-party, mainstream software right out of the box.
Many users write scripts to make other off-the-shelf applications accessible.
Louis Bryant of BrailleSoft has gone a
step further by developing games and original utilities for PAC Mate.

FSCast Episode 10, September 2007

FSCast Episode 9, August 2007

This month, Jonathan Mosen speaks with Glen Gordon, Freedom Scientific's Chief Technology officer. Glen tells us a little about himself, talks about writing the first versions of JAWS for Windows®, and examines some of today's technological challenges.

FSCast Episode 6, May 2007

This month, we speak with Dr. Lee Hamilton, President and CEO of Freedom Scientific. Lee has been with Freedom Scientific now for five years. In this interview, we find out a little about him and answer some commonly-asked questions.

FSCast Episode 5, April 2007

This month on FSCast, we speak with Dan Clark of our Training Department. Learn about all of the training resources we produce to help you get the most out of your Freedom Scientific products, as well as training courses you can attend.

Doug Lee has written free JAWS scripts that make Skype™ more convenient to use with JAWS. With the free Skype software, computer users can talk to other Skype users. Skype also offers premium services letting you make telephone calls from your PC. Doug talks about the scripts for JAWS.

FSCast Episode 4, March 2007

This month, we talk about the PAC Mate™ accessible Pocket PC and Focus braille displays. Ron Miller, whose voice will be familiar to users of the PAC Mate audio tutorial, joins us to talk about these products. He demonstrates the forthcoming StreetTalk™ 2.0 GPS solution, as well as our ScanTalker™ accessible barcode scanner for PAC Mate.

FSCast Episode 3, February 2007

This month, FSCast features an interview with Dusty Voorhees, one of our product managers at Freedom Scientific. We'll talk about MAGic® screen magnification software. You'll hear what makes MAGic unique, what's new in the MAGic 10.5 release, and learn about an exciting new edition of MAGic. Dusty also has great news for OpenBook™ users, as he updates us on the OpenBook development cycle.

Jonathan Mosen then speaks with Terry Clasper and Brian Hartgen of T&T Consultancy in the United Kingdom. We learn about how you can control your computer completely by voice using the J-Say solution for JAWS® and Dragon® NaturallySpeaking™. Brian, who is not a computer programmer by training, discusses how he learned to write such powerful JAWS scripts. We hear about what's in store for low vision users regarding access to Dragon NaturallySpeaking, and find out about what support is available for users of the Windows Vista™ speech recognition.

FSCast Episode 2, January 2007

This month, Jonathan Mosen speaks with Glen Gordon and Eric Damery about Microsoft's new operating system, Windows Vista. We discuss what's new in Vista, demonstrate JAWS running on a Windows Vista machine, and outline how JAWS will work with Windows Vista.